The talk in Taiz is of independence. This southern Yemeni city, surrounded by lush green hills, has become the focus of the 10-month old opposition to the three-decade rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh.
As instability and violence have increasingly gripped Yemen, Taiz, and southerners more generally, have turned their minds to an old question: independence.
In the last week, violence has reignited in the city, with several people killed and dozens injured in clashes with security forces. There are reports that some army units that defected to the protesters have clashed with government forces. Homes have been shelled. Amateur video posted on the internet shows heavy explosions echoing across the city in the middle of the day.
For President Saleh, recently returned from Saudi Arabia, Taiz is Yemen's Benghazi, the stronghold of the revolution and a city that could lead a movement against him. His forces have hit the city hard.
As Yemen's third-largest city, Taiz is a proving ground, not only for the uprising, but for the notion of a unified Yemen. As Libya's Benghazi led the opposition to Qaddafi, so Taiz is becoming a pole of political dissent.
Taiz occupies a unique place in this country of 24 million. Considered the intellectual heart of Yemen, it reflects the secular heritage of the south's socialist days: until the revolution, it was a safe, vibrant city, known for giving succour to fledgling political movements.
Like Benghazi it has been a cradle of revolt. A public campaign has sprouted across the city attacking Mr Saleh's rule. Today, posters of the opposition activist and Nobel Prize winner Tawakkul Karman adorn the streets.
Taiz is a test case because if Mr Saleh can still be believed to be serious about transferring power peacefully and holding the country together, it is in Taiz where that policy has to be made flesh. Yet the signs are not good.
Mr Saleh has continued to maintain that he will leave the presidency, although without specifying when. Speaking on Saturday, he again expressed his support for a GCC transition plan. Last month, the United Nations Security Council called on him to accept the plan and step aside.
Under the plan, which Mr Saleh has repeatedly promised to sign and repeatedly backed out of at the last minute, the president would transfer most of his powers to his deputy, who would also have the power to call early elections. The plan envisages a national unity government that would lead the country during an interim stage and restructure the armed forces.
Last week the state news agency Saba quoted Michele Cervone d'Urso, the EU resident ambassador, expressing optimism that Mr Saleh would leave soon and that Eid "will be an occasion to announce to Yemen and the world that Yemen has passed towards a new stage". But so far nothing.
After renewed attacks on Taiz, pro-independence sentiment has risen again, with some factions debating whether the notion of a separate south, or a referendum on the issue sometime in the future, should again be on the agenda.
Various political groups from the once-independent south are trying to find a common position, having met for talks in Cairo in October.
Secession has long held an attraction for the south, which was united - in some parts reluctantly - with the north in 1990. The south has more land, fewer people, better education levels and more natural resources. Culturally, the two parts of Yemen are also different; the north is closer to Saudi Arabia, while the south has closer links with other countries through trade. Southerners argue they have been disenfranchised and kept out of major political positions since Mr Saleh, a northerner, came to power.
Some of that is true. But the legacy of Mr Saleh has not been to entrench the power of the north, but to entrench the power of his supporters.
Unlike the 1990s civil war, this uprising is not of the north-south variety. The thousands on the streets and in Sanaa's Tahrir Square show that this is a popular movement of young people that unites Yemenis.
As two days of a remarkable diary from Sanaa by this newspaper's correspondent Mohammed Al Qadhi have shown, the capital is a city under siege, with residents unable to enjoy anything like a semblance of normal life.
The message of Ms Karman, who gained such prominence after winning the Nobel Peace Prize last month, is that all of Yemen is suffering, under the gaze of the international community. Ms Karman has shown herself to be a thoughtful and insightful leader. A southerner, she has risen above the fray of local - and even national politics - to call for a genuinely inclusive, just solution.
The talk in Taiz of secession is premature. The Yemeni revolution does not belong to one city or one region; it is being fought by and on behalf of all of Yemen's people.
In recent months, Mr Saleh and his supporters have attempted to fracture the opposition, hoping to find a way through that allows them to retain power. The south must resist this attempt. Mr Saleh has spent too long trying to play his people against each other for them to split now.
The temptation in Taiz and the south will be to wage their own battle for independence. But what Yemen needs now, more than ever, is unity. Whether there is a federal system, or independence, or continued unity is a question for a post-Saleh era. But for Yemen, the Saleh era has not yet passed.
falyafai@thenational.ae
Follow on Twitter: @FaisalAlYafai
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Vikram%20Vedha
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Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
Company%20Profile
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
FINAL LEADERBOARD
1. Jordan Spieth (USA) 65 69 65 69 - 12-under-par
2. Matt Kuchar (USA) 65 71 66 69 - 9-under
3. Li Haotong (CHN) 69 73 69 63 - 6-under
T4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71 68 69 67 - 5-under
T4. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67 73 67 68 - 5-under
T6. Marc Leishman (AUS) 69 76 66 65 - 4-under
T6. Matthew Southgate (ENG) 72 72 67 65 - 4-under
T6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 72 68 71 - 4-under
T6. Branden Grace (RSA) 70 74 62 70 - 4-under
T6. Alexander Noren (SWE) 68 72 69 67 - 4-under
THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
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The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.